0:00:07.855,0:00:11.847
As you might have guessed, I watch a lot of movies, my favourites are science fiction

0:00:11.847,0:00:17.655
but also action, dramas, and thrillers and I'll even admit the occasional romantic comedy.

0:00:17.655,0:00:22.134
If you go to the movies a lot too you may have noticed something that the vast majority of these films

0:00:22.134,0:00:25.845
have in common, most of the movies seem to be stories about men.

0:00:25.845,0:00:32.438
One of the primary reasons Hollywood continually churns out films about men is because we live in a male centered society.

0:00:32.438,0:00:37.215
Most simply, male centeredness is an aspect of patriarchy that shows us that we place and prioritize

0:00:37.215,0:00:43.064
our attention on men, men's stories, the things men want to do and the things men don't do.

0:00:43.064,0:00:46.948
As a result, the images we see in the media often focus on male-centered stories.

0:00:46.948,0:00:50.792
One way to demonstrate male centeredness is not only to look at the films being made

0:00:50.792,0:00:53.734
but which films are most celebrated and honoured.

0:00:53.734,0:00:58.413
To do this, I looked up the films that won the Academy Award for best picture over the last 50 years.

0:00:58.413,0:01:01.221
Let's see whose stories are being told?

0:01:01.221,0:01:05.405
Starting in 2009 is The Hurt Locker which although directed by a woman is still all about men.

0:01:05.405,0:01:07.410
Slumdog Millionaire - men

0:01:07.410,0:01:10.318
No Country for Old Men - need I say more

0:01:10.318,0:01:11.822
The Departed - is about men

0:01:11.822,0:01:13.694
Crash - is an ensemble

0:01:13.694,0:01:18.146
Million Dollar Baby - is interesting because it's pretty equally a story about a man and a woman.

0:01:18.146,0:01:19.788
Lord of the Rings - men

0:01:19.788,0:01:21.890
Chicago - is woman centered

0:01:21.890,0:01:23.795
A Beautiful Mind - men

0:01:23.795,0:01:26.102
Gladiator - is about a man who fights other men

0:01:26.102,0:01:27.472
American Beauty - man

0:01:27.472,0:01:29.277
Shakespeare in Love - man

0:01:29.277,0:01:31.517
Titanic - is from a man's perspective

0:01:31.517,0:01:32.787
The English Patient - man

0:01:32.787,0:01:33.925
Braveheart - man

0:01:33.925,0:01:34.998
Forrest Gump - man

0:01:34.998,0:01:36.268
Schindler's List - man

0:01:36.268,0:01:38.441
The Unforgiven - is about men on horses

0:01:38.441,0:01:42.105
The Silence of the Lambs - is about a man who eats people, and this is interesting because although

0:01:42.105,0:01:47.165
Jodi Foster's character plays a pretty big role in the film, you would never describe it as a movie about

0:01:47.165,0:01:52.186
an FBI agent who... you would describe it as a movie about Hannibal Lecter.

0:01:52.186,0:01:53.656
Dances with Wolves - man

0:01:53.656,0:01:55.963
Driving Miss Daisy - is about a man and a woman

0:01:55.963,0:01:58.027
Rain Man - is about a man and his brother

0:01:58.027,0:01:59.792
The Last Emperor - man

0:01:59.792,0:02:00.776
Platoon - man

0:02:00.776,0:02:03.016
Out of Africa - is woman centered

0:02:03.016,0:02:04.759
Amadeus - is about a man

0:02:04.759,0:02:06.898
Terms of Endearment - is woman centered

0:02:06.898,0:02:10.074
Gandhi - is about a man, albeit a pretty extraordinary one

0:02:10.074,0:02:12.012
Chariots of Fire - men

0:02:12.012,0:02:13.617
Ordinary People - is about a family

0:02:13.617,0:02:15.723
Kramer vs Kramer - is about a couple

0:02:15.723,0:02:17.494
The Deer Hunter - men

0:02:17.494,0:02:19.166
Annie Hall - is about a man and his love life

0:02:19.166,0:02:23.250
Rocky - is about a man who fights other men, again

0:02:23.250,0:02:25.490
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - man

0:02:25.490,0:02:27.562
The Godfather, Part II - men

0:02:27.562,0:02:29.300
The Sting - is about two con men

0:02:29.300,0:02:31.239
The Godfather, Part I - men

0:02:31.239,0:02:33.211
The French Connection - is about men

0:02:33.211,0:02:34.281
Patton - men

0:02:34.281,0:02:36.024
Midnight Cowboy - is a man

0:02:36.024,0:02:37.963
Oliver! - is a boy

0:02:37.963,0:02:39.835
In the Heat of the Night - is about men

0:02:39.835,0:02:42.108
A Man for All Seasons - man

0:02:42.108,0:02:44.314
The Sound of Music - is woman centered

0:02:44.314,0:02:48.960
My Fair Lady - is another interesting one because it's pretty equally about both a man and a woman's story

0:02:48.960,0:02:50.704
Tom Jones - man

0:02:50.704,0:02:55.016
Lawrence of Arabia - is so male centered that there aren't even any female speaking roles in it

0:02:55.016,0:02:57.690
West Side Story - is about both a man and a woman

0:02:57.690,0:03:02.203
And finally in 1960 is The Apartment which is from a man's perspective

0:03:02.203,0:03:07.292
So only 4 out of 50 of these films are exclusively centered on women's lives.

0:03:07.292,0:03:12.537
The vast majority are films about men and their lives and although there are some ensemble casts

0:03:12.537,0:03:15.136
women often play secondary or stereotypical roles.

0:03:15.136,0:03:19.723
Year after year we see men's stories being created, produced, celebrated and honoured

0:03:19.723,0:03:22.872
while women's stories take a back seat or aren't even represented.

0:03:22.872,0:03:25.880
And it's also behind the scenes in Hollywood that is dominated by men.

0:03:25.880,0:03:31.061
It's astonishing that Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have ever won an academy award

0:03:31.061,0:03:35.206
for best director in it's 83 year history, and she won for "The Hurt Locker" in 2009,

0:03:35.206,0:03:37.919
which is most definitely a male-centered film.

0:03:37.919,0:03:41.562
In fact only 4 women have ever even been nominated for best director.

0:03:41.562,0:03:46.443
And what's more startling is that women only account for 7% of all Hollywood directors.

0:03:46.443,0:03:51.097
Hollywood executives, production companies, financial investors and backers are most interested

0:03:51.097,0:03:55.765
in marketing to young men and funding stories that they, as men, can relate to.

0:03:55.765,0:04:00.588
Thus they fund and produce the majority of Hollywood films to appeal to this demographic.

0:04:00.588,0:04:04.532
Obviously, I want to see a many, many more films that are centered on women's lives,

0:04:04.532,0:04:09.522
however it's important to note that just because a film is women centric films doesn't mean it can't still be sexist.

0:04:09.522,0:04:15.087
For instance, in so called "chick flicks" women are often depicted in stereotypical gender roles

0:04:15.087,0:04:18.911
being obsessed with shopping, love and finding "Mr. Right".

0:04:18.911,0:04:21.721
I want to see more films that depict women as full and complete human beings

0:04:21.721,0:04:23.955
not stuck in stereotypical gender roles.

0:04:23.955,0:04:29.346
And just so we are absolutely clear... I'm not saying men's stories aren't good, important or interesting,

0:04:29.346,0:04:34.093
but I want to point out that they are disproportionally valued and most rewarded in our society.

0:04:34.093,0:04:37.435
Here are a few simple questions you can keep in mind next time you're watching a movie,

0:04:37.435,0:04:40.785
to help you identify whether a story is male centered or female centered.

0:04:40.785,0:04:43.028
Who has the most screen time?

0:04:43.028,0:04:45.362
Whose perspective do we see the scene from?

0:04:45.362,0:04:48.505
Whose story arc does the plot revolve around?

0:04:48.505,0:04:50.978
Do we see them make decisions?

0:04:50.978,0:04:53.361
Who do we most identify with?